Van Security Directorate made a declaration on February 20, 2019, about torture and ill-treatment that 3 children, O.D. (17, m), Ş.Y. (16, m) and Ö.S. (14, m) were subjected under custody on February 17, 2019 in Van; and denied torture allegations. Van Security Directorate also announced that an official complaint was made against Van Bar Association and lawyers who brought the torture allegation forward.

People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Batman MP Ayşe Acar Başaran, submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister of Justice, about the declaration of Van Security Directorate on the torture and ill-treatment that 3 children were subjected to. It is learned that the parliamentary question covers whether any proceedings will be conducted about Van Security Directorate’s declaration on Van Bar Association and lawyers.

(02/284) Person Who Was Subjected to Sexual Assault of Police Officer During an Intervention to a Protest in Ankara…

Süleyman Soylu, the Minister of Interior made a declaration on social media, about the sexual assault that Merve Demirel was subjected to by a police officer during intervention to the press declaration of TAYAD (Prisoner’s Families’ Solidarity Association) members in Sakarya Street in Ankara on February 16, 2019 against uniform coercion in prisons. Süleyman Soylu denied the sexual assault and said “We will not let our police to be persecuted through a project woman whose father was dismissed due to Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation, and whose brother is a member of DHKP-C (Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front)”.

Özlem Zengin, one of women MP’s of Justice and Development Party (AKP) stated the following about the sexual assault that Merve Demirel was subjected to: “What I see in those images is a careless attitude. There is an incorrect act due to the rush to put a person in the [detention] vehicle. If only there was a female police officer to intervene”.

(02/285) Explosion at Military Post in Ankara…

It is learned that 5 soldiers are wounded due to the explosion happened during a training at Artillery and Missile School Command in Polatlı district of Ankara on February 20, 2019. It is learned that 2 of the soldiers were seriously wounded.

(02/286) Operations and Attacks in Southeast…

It is learned that a vehicle of special force task police rolled over during research in rural areas in Tonya district of Trabzon on February 20, 2019 and 2 police officers were wounded due to accident.

The police intervened the press declaration of public labourers who had been dismissed by a state of emergency decree and have been struggling 834 days to regain their jobs, intended to be held in front of Human Rights Monument in Yüksel Street on February 20, 2019 at 13.30 and 18.00.

It was reported that during police intervention against the press declaration which was planned to be held at 13.30 on February 20, 2019, 3 people (Mahmut Konuk and Gülnaz Bozkurt) and at 18.00 2 people (Nazan Bozkurt and Gülnaz Bozkurt) were detained.

Thus in total 4 people were detained due to press declaration intended to be held in Yüksel Street on February 20, 2019. It is learned that detainees were released the same day.

(02/288) Police Intervention Against a Protest in Istanbul…

Türkan Albayrak, who was dismissed from her job at Sarıyer district Health Department, on the grounds of ‘personnel security investigation’ and ‘archive search’, on August 3, 2018; made a press declaration to regain her job on February 20, 2019, and attempted for a sit-in protest in front of Health Department. The police intervened into the sit-in and detained Türkan Albayrak. It is learned that Türkan Albayrak was released the same day. It is the 89th time of detention of Türkan Albayrak.

(02/289) Detained Members and Executives of DEDEF…

8 people including Yusuf Ziya Demirçivi, executive board member of Dersim Associations Federation (DEDEF) and Erçin Demir, substitute member of executive board of DEDEF, who were detained through and Istanbul based investigation on February 16, 2019, are arrested by the court on February 20, 2019. It is learned that these 8 people were arrested because of attending funerals of Aziz Güler and Berkin Elvan, commemoration of Gazi Massacre and May 1 demonstration in 2015. The names of arrested people are: Rojda Özmen, Erçin Demir, Deniz Çakan, Yusuf Demirçivi, Mehtap Demirçivi, Mertcan Kızıl, Sertan Ekinci and Dilan Yapışkan.

(02/290) Detained Person in Osmaniye for Social Media Posts…

1 of 2 people who were detained in Osmaniye on February 20, 2019, for social media posts, is arrested by the court on the same day, and 1 person is released on judicial control conditions. The person arrested is Hasan Gümüş.

(02/291) Gezi Case…

The indictment of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against Osman Kavala, Yiğit Aksakoğlu, Ali Hakan Altınay, Ayşe Mücella Yapıcı, Ayşe Pınar Alabora, Can Dündar, Çiğdem Mater Utku, Gökçe Yılmaz, Handan Meltem Arıkan, Hanzade Hikmet Germiyanoğlu, İnanç Ekmekçi, Mehmet Ali Alabora, Mine Özerden, Şerafettin Can Atalay, Tayfun Kahraman and Yiğit Ali Ekmekçi, for Gezi Park protests in 2013, is submitted to Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 30 on February 20, 2019. The indictment, which is 667 pages in total, demands heavy life imprisonment for 16 people on the charge of ‘attempting to abolish the government of the Republic of Turkey or to prevent it from fulfilling its duties’. The indictment also demands sentence for defendants on the charges of ‘qualified damage to property’, ‘possession or exchange of hazardous substances without permission’, ‘damaging places of worship and cemeteries’, ‘qualified robbery’, ‘injury’, ‘opposition to Law on the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Property No 2863’, and ‘opposition to Law for the Firearms and Knives and Other Tools No 6136’.

It is learned that 746 people, including ministers of the cabinet back then and President Tayyip Erdoğan are involved in the case as complainants.

Business person Osman Kavala was detained on October 18, 2017 and was arrested on November 1, 2017. Yiğit Aksakoğlu, who was detained on November 16, 2018 through the investigation against Anadolu Kültür, of which Osman Kavala is chief of executive board, and was arrested on November 17, 2018.

(02/292) People on Trial in Diyarbakır for Death of Ayaz Özdemir and Furkan Öner…

The final trial of the case on Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 1, regarding death of Ayaz Özdemir (6) and Furkan Öner (6) due to fall of a concrete block during wall construction around Turgut Özal Elementary School in Diyarbakır on March 30, 2016, is held on February 20, 2019. Turgut Özal Elementary School which was used as a normal school in the daytime, was being used as police station in the evenings. The court sentenced crane operator Aziz Korkmaz to 8 years, and construction company’s officials Faik Kayar and Mahmut Kazaylek to 6 years and 8 months each for ‘killing more than one person on conscious recklessness’. The court decided to make official complaint to Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor’s Office against police chief Hasan Ateş; Remzi Kattaş, deputy governor back then and other officials on duty in Diyarbakır Governorate; principal of Turgut Özal Elementary school, teacher on watch duty on the day of incident, and Ali Uysal and Murat Uysal, owners of the construction of the company.

(02/293) PSAKD Diyarbakır Branch Chair on Trial…

It is learned that the indictment of Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor’s Office against Cafer Koluman, Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association (PSAKD) Diyarbakır branch chair, on the grounds of ‘insulting the President’ in social media posts about October 10, Ankara Massacre, is accepted by Diyarbakır Penal Court of First Instance No 9 on February 20, 2019. It is reported that the first trial will be held on April 1, 2019.

(02/294) ECHR Decision on Kemal Gömi…

It is learned from the news coverage of February 20, 2019 that European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) concluded the application about Kemal Gömi, an ill prisoner kept in Bolu F Type Prison who was convicted to heavy life imprisonment. ECHR decided that Turkey has violated ‘ban on torture and ill-treatment’ and sentenced Turkey to pat 10.000 Euros for damages.

It is learned that on September 22, 2010 the Forensic Medicine Institution stated in its report diagnosing Kemal Gömi with “residual schizophrenia” that, “he cannot live in prison conditions and is an appropriate prisoner for presidential amnesty. It is reported that presidential amnesty was not issued for Kemal Gömi although this report and following applications for him were also rejected.

(02/295) Detentions and Arrests in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…

On February 20, 2019, 3 people (A.T., E.Ö., M.N.A.) are detained on warrant during a road check in Tekirdağ.

(02/296) Trials in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…

The final trial of the case against air vice marshal Atilla Darendeli, former commander of Combined Air Operations Centre No 2; brigadier general Deniz Kartepe, former commander of Main Jet Base No 8; and staff colonel Bülent Gürdoğan, former chief of Combined Air Operations Centre No 2, on Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 8 is held on February 20, 2019. The court sentenced 3 defendants to life imprisonment on the charge of ‘attempting to abolish the constitutional order’.

The final trial of the case against İlhan Kaya, former member of the Supreme Court, is held on Penal Department No 9 of the Supreme Court, is held on February 20, 2019. The court sentenced İlhan Kaya to 9 years and 4 months for ‘being an illegal organisation member’.

(02/297) Prevention of an Event in Van…

It is learned from the news coverage of February 20, 2019, that the press declaration of Language, Culture and Art Research Association (DİSA-DER) in Van, for the International Mother Language Day, February 21, is prevented by Van Governorate on the grounds of “security and social sensitivity”.

[1]The reports on the human rights violations of the Documentation Center are claims unless they are certified. The claim of violation either is certified through thoroughly investigations of HRFT Documentation Center, including by judicial verdicts, and becomes a definite data or it is not included to the annual report.

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